New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-12-26

+ba h.ns6t of har unsuspecting mistress. suh5u-
eating hotel keepers. cooks and weter@ impos'ns
unon the most exclusive English cot st . swiss
wateriug-place "toutng up" Miss Vanderpooi 10
now social eYirsncios. snd finally rcscung that
amiabIe but weak spinster from ridiculous stua-
ton. is ons Of Miss Howard's most amusing and
original pieces of work There is excellent wit ana
keen observation la the slight pictures OF waterhp-
place life set In tho frame Of the story. and the
touches OF satire true and sharp. Tony. the
Maid" is a trihe but it is trhe which could nave
come only from welltrained hand.
MADAME DE sTAEI. By BELLA DUFFY Famous
Women Series l6mo. PIP 80. Es"erts br"'her'
This is brilliant and entertaining sketch OF an
attractive though neither winning nor easily
comnrehcnsi5le character. The biographse mas
little sympathy with her subject, and While sle
does full Justice 10 Nine de Stacl's extraordinary
Intellectual powers, and shows no Inclination 10
disparage her personality, she criuclscs cohuuc|
analvzes emotions balances and estimates moi lVeS'
with codness which is sometimes fepelaht IL
is quite true that the frequent anguish oil Mne uo
Stael seems 70 our calm reason not always justified
by the degree OF her misfortunes; but 1t is MS
take TO measure by our standard tho quiverng
sensibility Of the French tempcramcnt-especlaiy
during the excitement of the revolutionary era
The judgments uron Nine. de Stael are given with
epigramrnatic point; many Of them are acute not
a few are weighry and wise; Still we are unpleas-
enty conscious that the Judge stands too far aloof
to see the whole Our author has an admirable pas
sage on what she calls the one mystery OF feeling
in Nine de Stacl which nobody fathomed. That
neflable something i'll her which nobody seems to
have guessed while she was living OF which
Iiyron felt the presence in her Wlthou'
divining the cause, was the passionate
and indispensable desire to be loved
All men who had dealings with her appear to have
misunderstood her in far that they believed
her to be moro dominated by her head than by her
hcart--instead of understanding that i'll her head
and heart were the systoc and diastolc Of iem-
permanent surprisingly forcibe hut not essentially
strong" 1t is surprising after this TO remark how
little faith the biocraphtr puts in the depth ana
reality Of Nine dc Stacls capacity for friendship
which was clearly only phase Of hat same "nys-
terry of feeling here so we'll described, and with
what imfaticncc she disnisscs tic gem
crous interference Of her heroine in
behalf of persons of obnoxious politi-
cal opinions Nevertheless the biography s well
done. as well perhaps Is work Of that kind can
he done when the biociapher is not in touch with
the subject slight but extremely vivid picture Of
the society IN which Nine. de Stael noEcd AID tie
pcIsonaccS who from time 10 time enjoyed her IN
timacy cniven tic rapid narrative; and the work
closes with critical chapter ON Nine. Dc StlcIs
writings. e which the worst that can be- aid rs
that the most serious and philosophical con>idcr'-
ton is bestowed upon books which had little six
riHcancc IN thoir own lay. ant new have u" 90 at
an. While the "N!cmagu,@ IS dismissed with a
few genera! phrases.